Wednesday, 24th June 2026
Khabor Wala Desk
Published: 16th June 2026, 9:29 AM
The High Court has directed the Solicitor’s Office to appoint state defence lawyers for Sohel Rana and his wife, Swapna Akter. The couple received the death penalty for the brutal rape and murder of an eight-year-old child in the Pallabi area of Mirpur, Dhaka.
On Tuesday, a High Court bench comprising Mr Justice Bhishmadev Chakrabortty and Mr Justice K. M. Rasheduzzaman Raja issued the order. Deputy Attorneys General Mohammad Imam Hossain Tarek and Syed Ejaz Kabir represented the State during the proceedings.
The victim was raped and murdered on 19 May. Law enforcement personnel recovered the child’s dismembered body from a flat in a Pallabi residential building. Prior to the discovery, Sohel Rana, a resident of the flat, escaped by breaking the iron grille of a toilet window. Whilst his wife, Swapna Akter, was detained at the scene, Sohel was apprehended later that evening in Fatullah, Narayanganj. Following the incident, the victim’s father filed a formal case at Pallabi Police Station.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Child Violence Suppression Tribunal delivered its verdict on 7 June, concluding the trial within 19 days of the incident. The tribunal sentenced both defendants to death. Furthermore, the court imposed a fine of 500,000 Taka on Sohel and 200,000 Taka on Swapna.
The swift progression of the legal proceedings, from the commission of the crime to the High Court directives, is outlined in the table below:
| Date | Legal Event and Procedural Developments |
| 19 May | The victim’s body is recovered; Swapna is detained, and Sohel Rana is subsequently arrested in Fatullah. |
| 7 June | The Trial Tribunal sentences both convicts to death and imposes financial penalties. |
| 9 June | Case documents arrive at the High Court Death Reference Wing for official registration. |
| 10 June | The Chief Justice constitutes a prioritised bench to expedite cases concerning women and children. |
| 11 June | The convicts lodge independent jail appeals through prison authorities against the verdict. |
| 14 June | The priority bench initiates operations; a separate division bench admits the jail appeals. |
| 16 June | The High Court priority bench lists the death reference as item number one and orders state counsel. |
Under Bangladeshi criminal jurisprudence, a death sentence passed by a trial court cannot be executed without the formal confirmation of the High Court Division. This procedure is legally designated as a “Death Reference”. On 9 June, the comprehensive records and judgment of the trial court reached the Death Reference Wing of the High Court, where the case was formally docketed.
Concurrently, the convicts submitted separate jail appeals through the prison administration on 11 June. On 14 June, an alternative division bench, comprising Mr Justice Mohammad Ali and Mr Justice Md. Saiful Islam, formally admitted the appeals for hearing.
To expedite cases involving the Prevention of Oppression Against Women and Children Act, the Chief Justice established a dedicated priority bench on 10 June. This bench commenced its judicial sessions on 14 June, positioning the Pallabi death reference as item number one on its daily cause list on Tuesday.
Speaking to the daily our representative, Deputy Attorney General Mohammad Imam Hossain Tarek confirmed that the “paperbook”—the exhaustive official compilation of the case history and trial transcripts—has been completed. He further stated to our representative that the High Court has instructed the Solicitor’s Office to assign state defence counsel to represent the convicts. Once the appointment of the state-designated lawyers is completed alongside other mandatory administrative formalities, the case will be fully prepared for its final hearing before the High Court.
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